


Dust Bunnies

by 10pm



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-23
Updated: 2015-11-06
Packaged: 2018-04-27 17:32:49
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,548
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5057557
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/10pm/pseuds/10pm
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Despite the name this is not a fluffy fic.</p><p>The war is over and everyone has returned to Hogwarts for another year. A year to finish their NEWTs. Hermione's new goal is to end the taboo on dark magic, when Hermione stumbles upon Draco in his moment of personal torment it is the beginning of Hermione's new interest. Hatred grows to friendship, and friendship grows to love.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Hermione sighed, it was currently 11:56pm in the library at Hogwarts and she hadn't absorbed a word from the 3 books she had skimmed after dinner. Her mind was being plagued by the sight she had seen just hours ago on the astronomy tower. 

Hermione was trying to find a quiet place to practice a few charms and spells and thought the astronomy tower would be free. Recently she had been finding it hard to find a place where she could openly practice spells that would otherwise be frowned upon in a social setting. Dark Magic intrigued Hermione endlessly. Upon arrival however she saw Draco Malfoy. She merely kept to the shadows in hopes she had not blown her attempt at being subtle. Draco Malfoy had always intrigued Hermione. She knew he was being forced into this war just as Harry had been, and knowing that Malfoy’s parents were the two most formidable parental figures she could currently put a name on, she wasn't surprised. She knew in her heart and in her mind that Draco Malfoy did not have a choice. As much as people say you have a choice, when you are a seventeen year old boy whose whole family had been raised on dark magic, its hard to break that, just look at Sirius… Hermione was stricken with worry for the boy but knew he would not see eye to eye with her. She was just a filthy mudblood in his eyes.

She had seen him sitting on the ledge of the tower. The very same ledge that Dumbledore had been Avada’d and sent to his death. What she didn't see, until closer inspection of Malfoy’s hushed sobs and jumpy eyes darting around the tower, was the dark red liquid seeping from his left forearm. It really did look black in the moonlight. To Hermione it seemed that Draco had been clawing at his pulsating dark mark, trying to rid its existence from his skin. They both knew that no amount of self inflicted harm would rid the mark off of his skin. Hermione let a small noise escape her lips. With a hushed gasp, Draco looked up to see where the sound originated from. When he met eyes with Hermione he felt his jaw tense up and used his right hand to wrap around his wound. He winced as he did this but he could not let her see him any weaker than he was now.

“Draco, let me see that.” Surprisingly, to him, Granger didn't sound as Griffyindorishly insufferable as she usually did.

“Leave.” Draco’s cold tone kissed a shiver through Hermione’s spine, making her hands shake a little.

“Draco, I just want to help.” Hermione eased towards Draco slowly, she did not want to tickle the dragon.

“Granger, leave, I’m only going to say this once nicely, I need to be alone.” Malfoy wasn’t being coy or repulsive and she did not know what piqued her interest when it came to the silver haired boy.

Hermione stood in front of Draco, ignoring his words, and rolled her sleeve up to reveal an ugly scar of her own. The word ‘MUDBLOOD’ scrawled messily across her arm by an insane witch with a wand. Over the words Draco could see over a hundred gashes over the word, cuts both thin and wide.

“I try to cut the word out. I’d rather live with these gashes than this word on my arm.” Draco could see he was not alone as their scarification was identical.

“Why are you showing me this.” Draco looked up into Hermione’s amber eyes. He’d not have been able to see the glow in them at this time of the evening; the sky was just too dark, the moon not bright enough, and the stars not vibrant enough. He felt sorry for her. The pain of simply trying to rip the mark on his arm off with his nails was excruciating yet she had seemed to have done it multiple times, but to no avail. The word was clear and deep. She would have to gouge the word out if she had wanted to remove it.

“I want you to know that you are not alone Draco. Of everyone here, I understand.” And with that, Granger was gone. She had seeped back into the dark of the shadows. Seeped back to where his eyes could not see. She had left him with a hopefulness in his heart. Maybe he was not alone.

Back in the library, Hermione reminisced. She thought of the weak look on the slightly older boy’s face. How had Draco managed to avoid Hermione’s radar for so long, she had not realised the boy was that broken. She thought of how he had been alienated from everyone he had held close. He was a blood traitor now. Of course she knew he didn't believe in the blood prejudices anymore, yet, that didn't bode well with his housemates. Come to think of it, she hadn't seen him in class for weeks, if not, months. 

Draco was taking private classes with each teacher now. He was not let into his Slytherin dorm anymore. He did not eat at the great hall with his house anymore. He was segregated from the population of Hogwarts.


	2. chapter 2

It was a dusty monday morning and the fair was frosted with little particles of slate. The best weather that Hogwarts was probably going to see in a while. Winter was fast approaching. It was breakfast in the great hall.

"Mione, who you looking for?" Ron was sitting in the great hall playing chess against Harry who was losing unsurprisingly. 

"No one Ron." Hermione didn't see the doubt in both Harry and Ron's eyes. They looked at eachother and shrugged. It probably wasn't much since Voldemort was gone. 

"Lavender Brown is shooting daggers at me Ron." Hermione found Lavender's continued obsession of Ron hilarious, despite everyone knowing that Hermione and Ron were an item, she was still trying to get with Ron.

"Ignore her Mione." Ron didn't look up from the chess board. 

"Check." Ron muttered to Harry. 

"Why don't you ever let me win?" Harry whined quite unhero-like.

"Checkmate." Ron grinned and stretched. 

"Lavender Brown is coming here..." Hermione whispered quite harshly and not at all quietly to the boys. 

"Ronald. I'd like a word." Lavender's tone was serious and not at all what The Golden Trio had expected. 

"Why." Ron didn't want Hermione to feel forgotten.

"Because I need to talk about us." Lavender completely ignored Hermione.

"There is nothing between you and Ron." Hermione stood up and stood face to face with Lavender, wand in her right hand. Lavender took a step back and made a face at Ron.

"Hermione back off her." Ron stood up and walked off with Lavender.

"What the hell, Harry?" Hermione, unmoved, stared at Ron and Lavender walking away, she flinched when she saw Ron place his hand on the small of Lavender’s back.

“He’ll probably tell her to bugger off.” Harry said justly, feigning ignorance.

————

Hermione sat in her regular corner of the library. She always made sure she wasn’t disturbed, with the spells she was practising someone could get hurt, reading about them in front of many people would arouse suspicion. Ron hadn’t talked to her the whole day and she was now tired of even trying. If Ron were going to cheat he would at least try to hide it. This gave Hermione some piece of mind.

“Granger…” Draco emerged from a nearby bookshelf.

“Draco. Are you alright?” Hermione sat upright from her beanbag.

“I just thought you should know. Lavender’s father was just sent to St Mungos… That’s why she wanted to speak with Ron…” Draco didn’t meet Hermione’s eyes.

“Why would she want to talk to Ron?” Hermione was still tense.

“Because they dated once, I think she feels some sort of comfort around him… but then again… what do I know.” Draco shut his book and put it back on the shelf.

“Draco wait…”

“What Granger.”

“Why do you know?” Hermione shut her defences off. To talk defensively to Draco now was to succumb to his nature.

“I have been watching people. Every day I see people going through things… They don’t even need to look at me for me to know whats wrong.” Draco walked towards Hermione and plopped down on the beanbag next to her. Hermione was slightly astounded. Why was he opening up to her.

“I see.” 

“And I watch you, I watch what you do. I know what you’re doing now.” Hermione looked up at the taller boy; even sitting he was taller than her.

“Don’t tell anyone… please…” She knew the consequences for the dark magic she was doing. The professors just wouldn’t understand and neither would her friends.

“I won’t, trust me I’m done fucking up your life.” Draco had his hand on Hermione’s forearm, lightly grazing her scars.

“Help me?” It was a big request.

“I really can’t. I don’t want to fall back int-“

“Draco, you won’t, Trust me, we’ll keep each other safe, please…” Hermione’s plea was set through her amber eyes. Draco stood curtly and looked Hermione dead in the eye.

“I’m really very sorry.” Draco left.

Hermione slumped back in her seat.


End file.
